""I had the wedding of my dreams with the man of my dreams." Which was true, the wedding everything she had ever dreamt of, and at that time Alexei had been the man of her dreams. It was the Alexei she discovered after the wedding she disliked."

Nadia to and about Alexei Volkov in Things are about to change

Contents

Nadia was born as the seventh child in a huge family - the fourth child in her father's second marriage. With her two oldest brothers already married and move on their own, Nadia still does not feel neglected at all - her father somehow managed to still find time for her, no matter how small and unimportant it might be in the bigger picture. This of course made Nadia feel very loved and happy, because she knew that if she would ever need her family, then they would always be there for her. This however also made Nadia feel a responsibility and she was never going to her father often, unless she felt the huge need to do so. Her mother as well, was not one that Nadia ran to if she was not able to deal with the problem herself.

Reaching the time where Nadia would go to school, the family was living in Russia, her father being a professor at Durmstrang, and her mother a former student - Nadia was excited to start her schooling and it did not took her long before she began to worry about her reputation. This made Nadia turn into a very quiet girl, the one that you passed in the hall, or talked with shortly about something, but never really remember or think of. A part of Nadia was grateful for this - because it meant that she had blended in and had not make any mistakes that would end up as rumors on her personality.

Finishing Durmstrang was both a happy milestone for Nadia, but at the same time she began fearing what might happen now. She had made a promise to herself several years ago, that she would be a good wife to her husband, but first she would have to find a husband. This included following her entire family back to Scotland, as her father had moved the entire family to Hogsmeade. Of course it placed Nadia in a position where she did not knew anyone, and as such she was suddenly on her own - friend-wise - with no one to help her get into the society she had to find her own way.

Luckily Nadia is not the type to turn down any invitation and as such she got to some few events, including a wedding where she got the chance to meet and dance with the handsome Mr. Volkov. Nadia quickly finds him interesting and is captivated by his perfect manners, his blue eyes and the fact that he is a Durmstrang Alumni also helps. She keeps all of this quiet though - not wanting to influence her father too much, but she does tell him about Alexei, and as such they enter a courtship only a month after their first meeting. Nadia enjoys the courting period, finding Alexei to be a wonderful person, who like her enjoys an evening in the theater.

Their courtship continued and at midnight, directly between 1882 and 1883 Alexei proposes to Nadia while they are out on the walk and can hear the fireworks around them. The marriage is set to be on the 21st of February - a day that for Nadia means a lot, seeing as it is her maternal grandparent's wedding day, and also a day that according to superstition should be a very lucky day for marriage.

Getting married to Alexei is like a dream coming true for Nadia, with the wedding looking very much like a winter fairytale. However, already on the first evening of their honeymoon in Russia, Nadia regrets her choice of husband, but she cannot find the strength to disappoint her father at all. So she stayes quiet about how she feels and accepts it all as Alexei hits her. She is grateful when she in May can tell Alexei that she is expecting their first child.

This saves Nadia a lot, because for a while Nadia's life returns to how she expected her marriage life would be like. She is no longer being hit, Alexei brings her presents and she can finally relax a bit. In November she gives birth to a healthy little girl - as much as Nadia had hoped and begged for a girl - that Alexei names Zoya. Not long after Zoya's birth, Alexei's father dies and Alexei is forced to go to Russia in order to deal with things. Nadia is left alone in five months, five months where she can relax, and finally have a chance of become a part of the society she lives in.

Alexei surprises her in the beginning of April by arriving home, unannounched and messes with Nadia's everyday as she had expected him to at least warn her. However, she quickly adapts to have him back in her life, and two months later - in June on her birthday - she announces that she is expecting their second child. As a celebration, Alexei decides that the are to spend the rest of the summer in Russia.

When Nadia is not covered in bruises, she has pale skin. She leans toward being thin, even before she got married, but her curves got helped on the way thanks to the corset that she usually tightened a bit more than necessary. Her brown hair tends to fall in soft large curls down her back, framing her gentle look. She is a bit shorter than the average woman, and her brown/gray eyes often shines with joy or fear.

However, Nadia has since her marriage lost a bit of weight, as much as she tries to eat properly, then she feels like her need for food has practically disappeared, along with the joy in seeing her family.

Nadia is incredibly soft and gentle, despite everything she is being put through. She has an inner fire that rarely shows, simply because she fears that it will make someone else unhappy or angry. She cannot stand seeing other people sad or angry, so her personality has left her to be compliant and trying to keep other people in a good mood, despite what might be best for her.

At the same time Nadia is a person who has a need to be strong, has a need to prove to others that she is strong enough to look after herself. She would never want anyone to be worried about her if she can avoid it, and as such her biggest secret is how Alexei is treating her, and her biggest fear is disappointing her father by having chosen a wrong husband for herself.

A gentleman to the public, Alexei fooled Nadia completely. She believed that he was a so-called Prince Charming, that one person that made her heart flutter and would always be kind and treat her perfectly. Since their honeymoon, Nadia's emotions and thoughts of Alexei has been jumbled, because sometimes she still sees a glimpse of the man she fell in love with, but most times she feels she is locked into a cage with a beast who controls her every move and word.

Family means everything to Nadia, as she has always been close ot her family, half-siblings from her father's first marriage, her own siblings, and her half-siblings from her father's third marriage. Not to mention her father specially. Despite the huge amount of siblings, Nadia has never felt like she was overlooked or put aside, she had always been able to count on her father to be there for her should she need him.

As such, Nadia therefore feels more alone than ever before, seeing as Alexei has cutted her contact with her family down to the spare minimum, even though some of her half-siblings live far away. Most times, she does not think about her family anymore, except to find some strength to continue to fight for her life.